the last breath
by when the lights go out
Summary: With her last breath, she wanted to make sure everything was right. Massington. One-shot. Re-write. Re-post.


**DEAREST READERS;**

_this is a re-written version of a one-shot I created last year. I just wasn't satisfied with it and a few of you hearty little reviewers inspired me to re-write and re-post this. I hope that you'll find that my writing has improved from last year. Thanks for reading and reviewing, darlings! You make me smile (:_

**LOVE, MERSAYDEZ**

**disclaimer:** lisi owns the original Clique cast. Everything else is mine!

It was just an ordinary day in Aaron Fisher's life when Aaron, with his one blue eye and one green eye, watched as a semi-truck squashed a tiny white convertible in the middle of the highway as his mother, Claire, was taking her to the mall downtown. He heard himself scream as another car rammed into the back of the convertible and screamed again as another car slammed into that one.

_That must really hurt. I feel sorry for whoever is in there,_ Aaron thought to himself fearfully. _That could as well have been me!_

He had been worried that his mommy would run into the pile of damaged and broken cars, but there was no need to.

"Mommy, did you see that?" Aaron asked, his voice hoarse from screaming.

"Yes," his mother, Claire, answered in a shocked voice. She had never witnessed an accident like that on the highway.

"Will they be all right, mommy?" Aaron asked.

"Of course they will, honey," Claire replied, her voice taking on a calm tone.

But the person in the middle car was not okay.

She was stuck; her chestnut colored hair stuck to her face with the blood that was rushing out of a deep gash in her head.

Pain.

_So _**much** pain.

She couldn't feel her legs, which seemed to be stuck underneath something large and heavy.

She couldn't breath as she watched glass fall onto her crippled body looking like raindrops but stinging like daggers.

She heard police sirens and the door beside her was ripped open.

She saw the face of a man.

"Miss are you all right?" he asked her, his face full of worry.

She tried to answer him, but her throat seemed to be trying to strangle her.

That is when everything went **black**.

**;-;**

Derrick Harrington had an enviable. A good-paying job, a big house and a beautiful wife. His life was seemingly perfect.

He had everything he ever wanted.

Everything, except the girl that ever really loved.

The girl we all call Massie Block.

The image of her amber eyes and auburn hair brought tears to his big, puppy dog eyes and grief to his heart.

"Derr-bear?" His wife, Dylan, called to him,

"Huh?" Derrick answered.

He hated being called _Derr-bear_, but he hated upsetting Dylan more. But not because she was his wife, but because she had once been very close to Massie. There seemed to be a bit of Massie in her, not a lot, but just as much as she needed to make Derrick want to marry her-to be as close to Massie as he could be. Dylan had been one of Massie's best friends at one point in her life, after all.

"Kristen and Dempsey are coming over for dinner tonight," Dylan said.

"Great," Derrick replied sarcastically.

Derrick had never really liked Dempsey. He wasn't that good at soccer and Kristen wasn't much better. She became so needy and desperate as she began dating Dempsey. He was all that she ever talked about. Kristen and Dylen had both become attention-starved divas. But this was the way things were since Massie left-or rather, had been left.

Derrick shouldn't of been thinking of Massie. Dylan wouldn't have liked it. Besides, Massie hurt him all those years ago. But they were just kids then, didn't she deserve another chance?

_No_, he was already married and he was planning on having a child with Dylan sometime in the near future.

He had a future with Dylan, **not** Massie.

Massie _wasn't_ important anymore.

So why was he thinking so much about her?

"Be nice, Derr-bear," Dylan scolded. "She's my best friend."

"What about Alicia?" Derrick asked.

"You know Alicia. She's in California living with Josh. She wouldn't just fly all the way to New York to have dinner with _us_," Dylan replied. "We'd have to be like, **dying** or something."

Derrick just rolled his eyes.

"But she'd come all this way to watch a _fashion show_," Derrick said.

"Well, _fashion_ mean ah-lot to us," Dylan stated.

Derrick rolled his eyes again.

"I've got to get to work," Derrick said, grabbing the keys to his Porsche off of the kitchen counter.

"Bye babe," Dylan said, leaving in for a kiss.

But Derrick wasn't in the mood for kissing right now, so he kissed her cheek lightly and whisked out of the room before she could get a word out of her thin, glossy lips.

When Derrick arrived at his workplace, his secretary, Madeline Corner, quickly came to see him.

"I have very important news to tell-" but she was cut off by Derrick, who was still thinking about Massie.

"Tell them to leave me a message and schedule them an appointment," Derrick said.

"But Mister Harrington, this is very urgent!" Madeline said.

Derrick rolled his carmel colored eyes for the third time that day.

"What is it?" he asked in a bored voice.

"Someone is calling you to the hospital. Miss-" but Madeline was cut off again.

"What has Dylan gotten herself into now?" Derrick fumed.

"It's not your wife, Mister Harrington," Madeline replied promptly.

"Then who is it?" Derrick asked.

"It's...well," Madeline shuffled quickly through some papers. "Your friend, Mister, er, Doctor Hotz, says that the patients name is Block, _Massie_ Block."

Derrick's head snapped to attention.

"Madeline," Derrick said, "did you just say _Block?_"

Madeline nodded.

"Why didn't you tell me earlier?" Derrick demanded, pulling his jacket back on.

"I...I did, as early as I-"

"I don't care," Derrick said.

Why would Massie want to see him now? Why didn't they call him sooner?

Derrick rushed out of the office, but soon came back to talk to Madeline.

"If my wife calls, I got a very important call and had to leave to...Washington for a business meeting with...Kemp Hurley, all right?" Derrick asked.

Madeline nodded.

"Good," Derrick said.

And with that, he raced off.

**;-;**

Dylan tried again and again calling Derrick's cell phone, but he just wouldn't pick up! What was he doing that was more important than her? What if something happened to him?

Worried, she called his office.

"Hello?" Madeline answered on the first ring.

"Hello Maddie. Is Derrick there?" Dylan asked.

"No, Mister Harrington is in a very important business meeting in Washington," Madeline answered.

"Oh, who'd he go see?" Dylan asked.

"A Mister Hurley, I believe," Madeline answered.

"I see," Dylan replied. "Do you know when he'll be back? Washington's an awful long way away."

"I'm afraid he won't be back for two days at the least," Madeline said.

"Oh. Well then...bye," Dylan hung up.

She couldn't believe that Derrick would just leave her without a goodbye.

Jerk.

Derrick had taken a nonstop flight from New York to San Fransisco, where Josh lived.

He dialed Josh's number.

"Hullo?" Josh answered.

"Josh! Why didn't you call me?" Derrick asked.

"I did," Josh replied.

"Well why not earlier?" Derrick asked.

"I've been giving surgery. I'm a busy man, Harrington," Josh chuckled.

"I don't care, where are you right now?" Derrick asked.

"The hospital," Josh replied in a "isn't it obvious?" tone.

"Expect me in five minutes," Derrick said.

Derrick was in California already?

"What?"

But Derrick had already hung up.

**;-;**

Alicia Hotz let her phone ring and ring until she could no longer stand it.

"What do you want? I'm busy!" she shouted into the phone.

"Leesh, it's me!" Josh replied.

Alicia sighed heavily.

"So? What's so important that you need to call me a million times for?" Alicia nearly shouted into the phone.

Josh paused, unsure of how to phrase what he was going to say. _I minus well be blunt._

"Massie's dying," he informed her.

Alicia dropped the phone.

**;-;**

The last few moments flashed through her mind.

Josh had just come into her room to tell her something that she already knew. Her spinal cord had been damaged and she would be paralysed, not that it meant much now. The glass that peirced her once-flawless skin punctured her already-collapsed lung as well as many other major organs.

In other words, _she was going to die_.

She just had **one** wish.

One wish to make everything all right again.

One chance to apologize.

One chance to tell him she loved him and that she forgave him.

"Derrick," she croaked out.

"What?" Josh asked as he rushed towards her, surprised that she could even speak.

"I...want...D-d-derrick," she said, her voice broken. It was almost too painful to speak, but she had to.

She only had one chance left.

Derrick Harrington flew into the hospital. He found out which room Massie was in and rushed to it. he saw that Josh was already in there standing next to a bed where a broken girl lay.

"Massie?" Derrick asked.

He hadn't spoken her name in so long.

Josh turned to him.

"I didn't hear you come in," Josh said.

"Well, it doesn't matter. I'm here to see Massie," Derrick said.

Josh looked at the two.

"I'll give you time alone," he said before he walked out and closed the door behind him.

Derrick walked over to Massie, but didn't utter a word.

Then he heard her voice, barely a whisper of her sweet breath.

"I'm sorry," she said.

"Sorry for what?" Derrick asked, knowing that if anyone should be sorry, it should have been him for being stupid enough to leave her all those years ago.

"I...I...Derrickkk..." she croaked.

"What? I'm here, I'm not going anywhere," he said as he grabbed her hand gently.

She inhaled sharply.

It hurt.

"I'm sorry I...that I...was such a...bitch back when we were...kids...but I-" Massie started.

"Massie, you shouldn't be the one apologizing, it should be me. When we were over, I went out with one of your best friends when I wasn't even over you. You meant so much to me and I just threw you away," Derrick said, "I've been going crazy these past few years thinking about how different my life would be if you were in it."

Massie smiled faintly.

"I-" but Massie let out a whimper of pain, not able to finish her sentence.

Derrick winced.

"Massie, shhh," Derrick cooed, "Just rest and we can talk later, when your all better."

Massie smirked slightly and tried to laugh, but it was just too painful.

"I...I won't be getting...any better, Derrick...I'm...I'm...I'm dying. There's nothing left for me," Massie admitted.

Tears stung both of their eyes.

"Massie, don't worry. I'll pay for everything and you can come back to stay with me and-" but Derrick cut himself off, not wanting to mention Dylan. "You can come back and stay with me. Ill make sure you get all better. You have everything to live for."

Massie shook her head slightly.

"Derrick, I'm...dying and there's...nothing you...can do about it," Massie wheezed.

Derrick and Massie stared at each other in silence, but during that moment, their silence said more than their voices could.

"I love you," Derrick blurted.

A ghost of a smile appeared on Massie's once sun-kissed face.

"I have always loved you," Massie whispered.

Derrick remained with Massie for the next three days, not picking up his phone or talking to Dylan. He didn't want Massie to die, but he didn't want her to live her life suffering with no one there for her.

_But you'd be there,_ Derrick's mind fought.

Derrick repeatedly asked Massie if he could somehow change her mind into letting him take care of everything.

"There's nothing...that...you can...do for...me," Massie had replied. Talking had become harder for her, it hurt her so much.

"Rest, darling." he said.

Massie closed her eyes.

**;-; **

Claire Fisher and Alicia Hotz rushed into the hospital where they knew Massie was and rushed to find Dr. Hotz.

"Where is she? Which room is she in? Is she okay? Can we see her?" Alicia and Claire cried almost instantly.

Josh stared at the two.

"After 14 years _now_ is when you want to see her?" Josh narrowed his eyes, glaring at Claire.

Claire, clearly taken aback by his statement, looked away from him.

"She's dying. She _needs_ the people who love her by her right now." she retorted.

Josh rolled his eyes.

"You can't see her." he replied simply.

"And why not?" Alicia asked ferociously.

"Because the person that has always loved her is with her right now."

**;-;**

Less than 4 hours after Alicia and Claire tried to visit, the love of Derrick Harringtons' life died in his arms, and with her last breath, she told him that she would always love him and that it was her dying wish to be with him just one more time.

After Massie finally closed her eyes for the final time in her short life, Derrick leaned down and kissed her gently on her pale, thin lips.

He brought his lips to her ear and whispered.

"I'll never forget you, and I'll always love you."

**;-;**

**REVIEW.**


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